Page 52 of Tristian (The Doherty Mafia)
“And, we need to keep you safe now. Far away from Aldo.”
“I feel perfectly safe with you…all. Here.”
I stopped in my tracks and she stopped too. Maybe she sensed there was something more coming because now she looked worried.
“Tristian…”
“I’m making arrangements to make you disappear. You have to go away. Somewhere Aldo won’t find you. I can make that happen.”
“You want me to leave?”
“You have to. We can’t risk him finding you again. He won’t give up. It’s a matter of pride and revenge for him.”
Elsie shook her head.
“I’m safe here. He can’t touch me here.”
“No, you’re not safe here, Elsie,” I growled, grabbing her arm tightly. She gasped and I let her go.
“If you send me away, I’ll lose…everything,” she murmured, her eyes filling with tears. I didn’t know exactly what she meant by that, and I didn’t want to know. I didn’t want her to tempt me into changing my mind.
“It’s the price you’ll have to pay for staying alive,” I said, through clenched teeth.
She yanked her arm away from me, spilling some of the coffee from the mug on herself. It seemed like she was about to say something but then she changed her mind. She turned around and ran back towards the house.
Fuck.
Didn’t she see I just wanted the best for her?
“Elsie!” I roared her name through the house, following her up to the room she stayed in.
Her temporary accommodation before my plan to ship her out came through.
I didn’t care who else heard me or what they thought. I just needed her to be okay.
She slammed the door behind her when she went in but hadn’t locked it, so I went through.
“Come fuckin’ on. We need to talk about this without you shutting me out,” I growled.
Elsie walked over to the window and stood looking out. Both her hands were on her hips with her back to me. I was sure she was listening to me, but wouldn’t react.
“In a few years, once everything settles down, maybe you can come back. Take a stab at that job you wanted.”
“A few years?” she spun around to face me now. “You want me to spend the next few years of my life on the run? From a man who has already destroyed my whole life?”
“The priority is to keep you alive.”
“The priority should be that I have a life,” she snapped, taking a few steps towards me. “What do you picture for me, Tristian? A life cooped up in some obscure town in a secure house? Where I’m surrounded by guards who don’t talk to me. Can I even leave this house? Ever? Can I go get fast food if I want to? Can I get a job and earn a living?”
“You won’t have to do anything,” I said.
“But what kind of life is that? If I do this, Tristian, then I’m just letting Aldo win. He may not have physically killed me, but he would’ve killed everything that matters in my life.”
She peered into my eyes for an answer, but in them she saw I wasn’t budging. I wasn’t going to let Aldo take her again. Torture her and kill her. I wouldn’t be able to live with that. I’d never forgive myself for it.
Elsie’s lips quivered while she waited for an answer.
“And what about…us?”
I said nothing.
“Or does that not matter anymore?”
Still, nothing. I didn’t have the words to explain to her what she’d done to me. Just in the span of a few days. I was in love with her. I’d fallen hard for her the way I’d never fallen for anyone before. I wished I could tell her about it, but if I did, it’d only make matters worse.
She took a few steps back.
“I get it now. You want me out of your picture because I’m a problem. Because I mess up your day. You want to be free. You want your old life back.”
I couldn’t let her keep doing this to herself. I reached for her, grabbing her by her hips and pulling her to me. I thought she’d pull away but she didn’t. She fell on me with a thud and then I kissed her again.
Elsie gave herself to me in a way I didn’t expect her to.
I devoured her mouth, cradling her face with both hands and sucking on her tongue. She pressed into me hard, grabbing my cock and stroking.
I felt her desire for me. She wanted me with a hunger. I wanted her in the same way. I lifted her up and carried her to the bed.
Our bodies bounced as we fell into it. My hands were everywhere, exploring every inch of her body.
We rolled in the sheets together, kissing and seeking. My hand went down the front of her pants. I stroked that damp sweet spot between her legs that made me harder and stronger. Weaker too.
